Other Fiction Baring-Gould, Sabine: Mehalah: A Tale of the Salt Marshes. v1. 14 Dec 2021

[GrannyGrump]

A gothic tale. A classic portrayal of both Essex and 19th century life, the novel was described at the time by Swinburne as being as good as Wuthering Heights, and it is often compared to that book by critics.

“The central theme of the book is freedom and imprisonment, and the text swarms with corresponding imagery, not all of it subtle. The increasingly violent means of Rebow to secure Mehalah as his lover have a ring of the fairy-tale about them, as does the systematic trio of vows he wishes to enforce on her, namely to obey, cherish, and love. In addition to the dark and brooding main narrative, there is a host of supporting characters to provide some comic relief.

“The writing is masterful, gripping and energetic; and also blackly, morbidly funny in places. The gothic bent of the tale can be used to excuse elements of excess melodrama, for it goes with the territory. It is a hauntingly powerful, highly memorable book inviting multiple readings.

(— Goodreads review)

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The Reverend Sabine Baring-Gould (28 January 1834 – 2 January 1924) was an Anglican priest, antiquarian and folklorist, novelist, and eclectic scholar. One of the most prolific and popular writers of the late-Victorian period, he wrote more than 150 books and contributed countless magazine articles. His folkloric studies resulted in The Book of Were-Wolves (1865), one of the most frequently cited studies of lycanthropy; followed by numerous volumes on other arcane subjects. He is remembered particularly as a writer of hymns, the best-known being “Onward, Christian Soldiers.”

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This novel was first published in 1880. Cover illustration from painting by Edmond-François Aman-Jean (1858–1936). This ebook is in the public domain where copyright is “Life+80” or less, and in the USA.
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